Image retrieval apparatus and method, and image display apparatus and method thereof

• US 20050157952A1
• Filed: 11/08/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Oka, Hiroto, Gohda, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions

Abstract

Image data containing the face image of a person is retrieved from a plurality of images, the retrieved image data is displayed, face image data, which is for image retrieval, is extracted from the displayed image data, and the extracted face image data is registered as reference face image data. Specified reference face image data in the registered reference face image data is designated and image data that contains the reference face image data is retrieved.

Claims

1. An image retrieval apparatus comprising:

face retrieving means for retrieving image data that contains the face of a person from plural items of image data;

display means for displaying the image data that has been retrieved by said face retrieving means;

registering means for extracting face data, which is for image retrieval, from the image data displayed by said display means, and registering the face data as reference face data; and

image retrieving means for retrieving image data, which contains specified reference face data from among the reference face data registered by said registering means, from the plural items of image data.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said registering means including selecting means for selecting a single item of image data from the image data displayed by said display means;

wherein said registering means extracts the image data selected by said selecting means from the face data and registers as the reference face data.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said registering means further comprising means for appending identification information to the reference face data.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said image retrieving means retrieves image data that contains the reference face data specified by the identification information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising designating means for designating plural items of image data to be retrieved by said face retrieving means.

6. An image retrieval apparatus comprising:

extracting means for extracting image data that contains the face image of a person from plural items of image data;

display means for displaying the image data that has been extracted by said extracting means;

command means for selecting, and commanding registration of, an image that contains face data, which is for image retrieval, from the image data displayed by said display means;

registering means, which is responsive to a command from said command means, for registering a face area, which is contained in the image, as reference face data;

input means for inputting identification information of the reference face data to be registered by said registering means; and

image retrieving means for retrieving, from plural items of image data, image data that includes reference face data specified by the identification information in the reference face data that has been registered by said registering means.

7. An image retrieval method comprising:

a face retrieving step of retrieving image data that contains the face of a person from plural items of image data;

a display step of displaying the image data that has been retrieved in said face retrieving step;

a registering step of extracting face data, which is for image retrieval, from the image data displayed in said display step, and registering the face data as reference face data; and

an image retrieving step of retrieving image data, which contains specified reference face data from among the reference face data registered in said registering step, from the plural items of image data.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said registering step including a selecting step of selecting a single item of image data from the image data displayed in said display step;

wherein in said registering step, the image data selected at said selecting step is extracted from the face data and registered as the reference face data.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said registering step further including a step of appending identification information to the reference face data.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the image data that contains the reference face data specified by the identification information is retrieved in said image retrieving step.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a designating step of designating plural items of image data to be retrieved in said face retrieving step.

12. A program for implementing the image retrieval method set forth in claim 7.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program set forth in claim 12.

14. An image display apparatus comprising:

face-area detecting means for detecting the face area of a person contained in digital image data;

storage means for storing area information, which indicates a face area detected by said face-area detecting means, in association with the digital image data;

selecting means for selecting a face area contained in the digital image data; and

display means for displaying the digital image data in such a manner that the face area selected by said selecting means is identifiable.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said storage means stores the face area in the form of rectangle information.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein when a face area is selected by said selecting means, said display means displays the selected face area with a frame appended thereto.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein when a face area is selected by said selecting means, said display means displays, in inverse video, the face area that has been selected.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein if the digital image data contains a plurality of face areas, said selecting means successively selects face areas exclusively in accordance with a selection command.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein when a selection command for selecting a face area other than a face area contained in digital image data being displayed is input, said selecting means selects a face area of other digital image data in accordance with the selection command.

20. An image display method comprising:

a face-area detecting step of detecting the face area of a person contained in digital image data;

a storage step of storing area information, which indicates a face area detected in said face-area detecting step, in a memory in association with the digital image data;

a selecting step of selecting a face area contained in the digital image data; and

a display step of displaying the digital image data in such a manner that the face area selected in said selecting step is identifiable.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said memory stores the face area in the form of rectangle information.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein when a face area is selected in said selecting step, the selected face area is displayed with a frame appended thereto in said display step.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein when a face area is selected in said selecting step, the selected face area is displayed in inverse video in said display step.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein if the digital image data contains a plurality of face areas, face areas are successively selected exclusively in accordance with a selection command.

25. The method according to claim 20, wherein when a selection command for selecting a face area other than a face area contained in digital image data being displayed is input, a face area of other digital image data is selected in accordance with this selection command in said selecting step.